Dir: Jeff Rowe
Cast: Micah Abbey, Shamon Brown Jr., Nicolas Cantu, Brady Noon, Jackie Chan, Ice Cube, Ayo Edibiri, Seth Rogen, John Cena, Post Malone, Rose Byrne, Maya Rudolph, Hannibal Buress, Paul Rudd
This new animated origin story of the famous reptilian foursome is as hilariously entertaining as it is visually striking.
It may have taken four decades and seven attempts, but thanks to Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg we finally have a good Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie. The animated origin story is an unprecedented improvement on the two movies Michael Bay produces a decade ago. Seth Rogen’s Point Grey Production and director Jeff Rowe clearly opted to follow in the footsteps of Chris Miller and Phil Lord, and how they approached the recent Spider-Verse movies. Much like the sensational animated Spider-Man movies, ‘Mutant Mayhem‘ blends several animation styles to create it’s very own unique visual experience.
Spider-Verse utilised these contrasting styles to create an aesthetically beautiful cinematic spectacle, where every single frame could pass as a piece of art. ‘Mutant Mayhem‘ however, blends comic book visuals with the grimy, graffiti ridden streets of New York City, to make a visually disgusting and dirty animated feature – in the best possible way. While I do think Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse pathed the way for modern animated films, ‘Mutant Mayhem‘ has it’s own identity and has not just simply copied what has come before it.
The distinct artistic style brings a sense of nostalgia to the film, with the visuals being reminiscent of something you may doodle on your desk in school. This gives a sense of the uncanny, particularly with the human characters living on the streets of New York. With the central theme of the film is that of acceptance, as the turtles and their fellow mutants are shunned by society for being ‘freaks of nature’. The mutants however, are more aesthetically pleasing than their surface dwelling counter parts, as the humans are depicted as the more monstrous species, illustrated as grotesque caricatures – another great example of the film’s choice of animation style.
‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles‘ is itself a nostalgic property, spanning multiple decades and generations. I myself grew up with the animated series that ran from the late 1980’s well into the 90’s. This latest adaptation appeals to all ages, serving as a reboot of the established franchise, it is a great platform to introduce a new audience to the series as well as appealing to those who were fans during their own childhood.
Taking a more streamlined approach to the very expansive lore of the comic book series, we are taken back fifteen years to when a lonely and unstable scientist, Dr. Stockman (Giancarlo Esposito) went rogue from the sinister company TCRI. With his loneliness getting the best of him, Dr. Stockman attempts to make his own family of mutants, by combining a bunch of increasingly bizarre embryos with a suspiciously luminous vial of green gloop. This gains the attention of his superiors, whose attempt to apprehend Stockman results in an explosion, resulting in his death and causing a vial of the mysterious “ooze” to fall into the sewers.
In the sewers, this mutant-creating “ooze” comes into contact with four infant turtles and their rat guardian, Splinter (Jackie Chan). After an attempt at entering society goes awry, Splinter shields the turtles from the cruelty of the humans on the surface, and schools them in martial arts so they can protect themselves. The turtles grow up to be: the wise and resourceful Donatello (Micah Abbey), the charismatic Michelangelo (Shamon Brown Jr.), the impulsive Raphael (Brady Noon) and their leader Leonardo (Nicolas Cantu). Longing to live amongst the humans like regular teenagers, the turtles constantly sneak out on adventures, much to Splinter’s concern. On one of their escapades, the turtles help young high-schooler and aspiring journalist April O’Neil (Ayo Edibiri), whose scooter is stolen by a gang of crooks. This encounter encourages the turtles to use their skills to fight crime, and team up with April to track down the wanted criminal, Superfly (Ice Cube), and his gang of fellow mutants.
As previously mentioned, the film’s central theme is that of acceptance, which is showcased by the turtles determination to be accepted by the humans, who are ungrateful for their good deeds. April is seen as a kindred spirit as she is also picked on and ridiculed by the way she looks – and for an unfortunate vomiting incident whilst conducting the school announcements. Much like the gross animation, the film does not paint a pretty picture of humans and how quick we can be to judge those who are different. This also makes the villain somewhat understandable and justified in his actions, making him far more compelling then he ought to be. There are distinct parallels to the X-Men series of films and how the mutants from Charles Xavier’s school are constantly ridiculed by humans despite their good actions.
Unfortunately, nothing else is looked into here to explore the characters and their backgrounds. At a brisk 95 minutes, the film absolutely flies by, which leaves very little room for much character development beyond the typical superhero clichés. Most of the emotional heavy lifting comes from Jackie Chan as the terrified but capable Splinter, as he helplessly attempts to protect his rebellious adoptive sons from the judgemental humans. In fact the whole voice cast is solid, with Paul Rudd and Ice Cube getting the more comedic lines, and having four actual teenagers voicing the titular turtles brings great chemistry and a schoolboy mentality to the characters, which is shockingly absent from all the previous movie iterations.
Where the film truly excels is the spectacularly crafted action sequences, which much like the aforementioned Spider-Verse movies, pushes animation to it’s limits. Jeff Rowe manages to recapture the chaotic energy he managed to produce in the excellent Netflix flick, The Mitchell’s vs. the Machines. This energy is perfectly matched by the absolutely thumping score by Oscar-winning Nine Inch Nails alumni, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. Their synth heavy grunge sound elevates the action and emotional beats throughout the films entire runtime.
Despite the simplistic story falling into typical superhero tropes, ‘Mutant Mayhem‘ truly comes into it’s own through it’s ambitious art style and frenetic action sequences. The exhilarating experience is sure to entertain fans of the brand, both old and new, and hopefully serves as a solid foundation to build a successful series on.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is now showing in Cinemas
Dan Loves Film 
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